Comment on History of Biodynamics
prettybunnys@piefed.social 20 hours ago
I know the Nazis we’re all in on occult type shit and “germanic / roman” mythos, is this meme just that Steiner had the same kind of woowoo occult going on?
I thought the Nazis we’re generally against Steiners brand of woowoo
Samskara@sh.itjust.works 19 hours ago
Both stem from romantic and naturalistic idealism, that‘s Part of German culture. Modernity had severed the relationship between the people and the land and nature. Christianity and Judaism were seen as invasive religions, that eradicated the natural indigenous religion.
There‘s an antisemitic strain that rejected modern medicine as Jewish, and favored alternative methods. Homeopathy, Anthroposophic medicine, new Germanic medicine, quackery, and other alternatives were supported by the Nazis.
The Nazis regulated quacks and providers of alternative medicine as Heilpraktiker (healing practitioners), a law that‘s still around today in Germany. This legitimized them in the eyes of the public until today.
It’s all pretty convoluted and there’s no clear line. Nazism as an ideology has a lot of inherent contradictions. It’s both against modernity, for a more ancient indigenous culture, while embracing modernity, technology, media, and revolutionary change. It’s very syncretic.
Anthroposophy and other alternative medicine remains popular in Germany today, especially among the educated middle and upper class. Left-liberal hippies will often send their children to Waldorf (Rudolf Steiner) schools, which you can find in every medium sized city. I have personally listened to a Waldorf teacher talk in front a group of 40ish people how the Holocaust was the result of bad karma accumulated by the Jewish people. According to him the Jewish people were were cleansed by it and transitioned now to a higher stage of development.
SkunkWorkz@lemmy.world 3 hours ago
It’s funny how hippies becoming right wing extremist is a worldwide phenomena. Even without the Nazi influence late stage hippies always end up on the far right. Like in my country the face of the anti-covid movement is a stereotypical white boy hippie with dreds. Like the typical mistrust in the government hippies have creates a lot of overlap with the far-right hence why some hippies become right wing extremist.
SeductiveTortoise@piefed.social 11 hours ago
It pisses me off that they intermixed so much stuff. Some might be good, some might be bad, some definitely is bullshit, but you can’t really have a discussion because it’s all under one label and criticizing a part of it, criticizes the part you would agree to in their eyes.
prettybunnys@piefed.social 19 hours ago
Appreciate the detailed answer, the way you speak about it implies (or I take as an assumption) you’re German/local?
Samskara@sh.itjust.works 8 minutes ago
Yes, I am German. I come from that alternative milieu. My father was a founder of the local chapter of the Green Party and active in the peace and environmental movement. His job was working at a co-op owned bookstore with a book selection that had a strong emphasis on environmentalism, peace movement, leftist politics, third world authors (mostly Latin American leftists), etc.
I was born in an anthroposophic clinic. Throughout my childhood I ate mostly organic food and was treated with alternative medicine, mostly homeopathy and herbal. This impacted my life pretty negatively as I never received antihistamines for my allergies, only some vaccinations, nor any kind of attention to my ADHD. When I first visited a regular doctor as an adult, it was mindblowing to receive medicine, that actually works.
Some of my friends went to Waldorf schools, so I have second hand experience. Their school philosophy has lots of things going for it, but in practice can be pretty terrible for some children.
I can talk about this stuff for hours.